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Hakeem Dawodu def. Austin Arnett at UFC on FOX 30: Best photos

After suffering a 39-second loss in his UFC debut, Dawodu (8-1-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) utilized a near-constant kicking attack against Arnett (15-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) to win a unanimous decision. He won with a trio of 30-27 scores and never was threatened.

The featherweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC on FOX 30 event at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It aired on FOX following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of the main card on FOX.

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Dawodu and Arnett looked for openings in the first 90 seconds. Dawodu worked a few low kicks from the outside, and a big one connected two minutes in. When Arnett threw a high kick, Dawodu returned fire with another leg kick that spun Arnett around. Past the midway point, Dawodu peppered a few more kicks to Arnett’s lead leg and forced Arnett to shoot for a takedown.

But Dawodu backed out and stayed on his feet to land his 12th leg kick with two minutes left. Arnett again wanted a takedown with a minute left, but it wasn’t close and Dawodu stuffed it with ease. Another leg kick was good for Dawodu with 30 seconds left.

Between rounds, Arnett’s corner told him to push forward and throw punches. Thirty seconds into the second, Dawodu landed a body punch, then a kick. But Arnett landed a pair of rights in response, then another. It was his best offense of the fight by far. But seconds later he ate yet another leg kick. Arnett never could replicate the short surge of offense he had early in the round, though it was a better frame for him.

Dawodu kept kicking in the third. A minute in, Arnett shot for a takedown, but Dawodu easily stuffed it and pushed Arnett off. Dawodu put together several punches in a combination after that and forced Arnett to tie him up. But Dawodu easily defended it and landed a pair of knees. Arnett kicked up high with a minute left and had it partially blocked, but wasn’t able to put any kind of follow-up together.